Unlike Last Year Good Friday Is NOT A Day Off From School For The Alton Central (ACS) Kids This Year.

Yes, I know it is NOT a Federal or State holiday, though the Stock and Bond Markets are closed, and in my world, that is the barometer of the American psyche. Did YOU know that these U.S. states celebrate Good Friday as a holiday: Conn., Del., Hawaii, Ind., Ky. (half day), La., N.J., N.C., N.D., & Tenn.? That is pretty amazing. As soon as I heard that States celebrate it, I immediately thought of Ma. No Ma., but N.J., Hawaii and Delaware? Wow. What a country.

You may not remember it, but I have the benefit of an all remembering electronic diary — a.k.a. ‘this blog’. Yes, it was a holiday last year, and I noted that I was GLAD. Yes, it was one of those inspired and genii ‘teacher conference’ days. Feel bad for the teachers that they might have had to come in for a couple of hours but it was a great for the kids. I guess ‘they’ must have got some flack for that. NOT a holiday this year. I am crushed. A conjunction of two things brought it to mind this morning. CNBC reminded me, very early this morning, that the Markets were closed Friday. To me that is a HOLYDAY. I also have an evening presentation on “Pope John XXIII Canonization”at the New Durham Public Library on Thursday — Easter eve. The kids will attend since they like to see me present. Plus we are taking cake. So, if they don’t have school Friday we could go out after the presentation for an ice cream. C’est la vie.

Having grown up in a 70% Buddhist country which per its British antecedents celebrates as holidays BOTH Good Friday and Easter Monday, I find it strange to live in a predominantly (and in pockets very devout) Christian country where kids have to go to school on Good Friday. I fully appreciate and applaud the ‘State-and-Church’ thing, BUT you cannot deny that Christmas is celebrated as Christmas. So that blows that argument out of the water. And lets face it, Eater is the more important of the two holidays — even if WE (yes, we) spend 1/100th on Easter presents as we do for Christmas. You do do Easter presents … right? Easter bunny? Teischan reminded me this morning that she is expecting the big, yellow bunny! She is nobody’s fool when it comes to holidays that involve chocolates and presents. She will play along. She know which side the bread is buttered on (to kind of mix metaphors).

Yes, yes, I understand. If they have Good Friday off they will have to come in for another additional day in June. I think we should ask the kids.

C’est la vie. I wonder how many parents keep their kids home for Good Friday?

Oh! I checked something else. I checked to see whether, at least, they would be getting FISH on Good Friday. Heck NO, though funnily enough there was a ‘riddle’ about Easter on the menu and one about crossing a teacher with a vampire. Call me old fashioned BUT I think both of those are INAPPROPRIATE on a school menu — especially vampire jokes, more so if they involve teachers! To me the Easter ‘joke’ is more appropriate than the vampire one — plus isn’t it TACKY to have a vampire joke on a school menu?

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